Systems exist for navigating through a three dimensional environment to display three dimensional data. The three dimensional environment includes a virtual camera. The virtual camera has a perspective that defines what three dimensional data to display to a user. The user may input data that pans the virtual camera. By panning the virtual camera, the user navigates in the three dimensional environment.
One type of system that pans a virtual camera to navigate in a three dimensional environment is a geographic information system. A geographic information system is a system for storing, retrieving, manipulating, and displaying a three dimensional model of the Earth. The three dimensional model may include satellite images texture mapped to terrain, such as mountains, valleys, and canyons. Further, the three dimensional model may include buildings and other three dimensional features.
As the virtual camera's perspective becomes tangential to the Earth, panning becomes increasingly unstable. A small change to the user's input pans the virtual camera large distances. This can be disorienting for the user.
Systems and methods are needed for more stable panning in a three dimensional environment.